A regional event to support patients, practitioners, localities and system leaders.

Across the UK many general practices and other community-based teams are struggling to maintain the workforce required to deliver basic routine care. In the meantime, government policy is promoting a central role for primary care in ‘new models of care’, which addresses the needs of older people with frailty and others with complex needs.

These models require clinicians to work together differently, while continuing to provide compassionate care. In order for experienced practitioners to become involved in this exciting challenge, we need to ensure capacity for routine appointments. This will mean looking after current workers, whilst developing an additional flexible workforce.

Our two day conference in November 2017 will provide a space which brings patients, practitioners, managers, educators and researchers together. We aim to make progress on developing new models of community and primary care, through sharing local and international evidence about what works.

The conference will focus on two core and intertwined elements: the primary care workforce and person-centred coordinated care (P3C).

GP locum cover

We recognise that it can be difficult for GPs to attend conferences and that locum GP cover is key to facilitate attendance. A limited fund* is available for locum sessions for GP practices, to enable GP attendance at this conference. We welcome applications from General Practices who require GP locum cover to enable a representative from their practice to attend.

To apply for the funding please email your details and reason for applying to laura.gill@plymouth.ac.uk asap. Applications will now be dealt with on a first come, first served basis.

* Based on the LMC rate of £250 per locum session.

Objectives

Provide direction to local higher education providers and system leaders as to how we should meet the short- and long-term workforce needs of primary care

Create further understanding of the practical and ethical basis for new models underpinned by P3C - models which are about transformation and investment in community rather than based on cuts to services

Explore how best to collate a portfolio of information to support patients, GPs, practice managers, CCGs, pharmacies, primary and community health professionals to deliver new ways of working

Raise awareness of the barriers impacting redesign and create a space to share ideas on how these may be resolved, to ensure we achieve rapid change while learning as we proceed

Support practitioners and those with responsibility for supporting primary and community care to work together and put in place coherent plans and concrete actions for each locality/healthcare system (for example, at emerging Accountable Care Systems (ACS)

The booking process will make sure that there is a balance of practitioners, managers and researchers, and ensure local practitioners can attend for half days if preferred.

Get involved

We welcome your ideas on what you would like the conference to cover, workshop ideas and poster submissions via the above options.

Outline

Day 1 will deepen our understanding of the complex issues underlying these new models by examining the practical mechanisms, and ethical basis, for P3C. In particular we will examine how multi-professional practice can contribute to care for a range of individuals, including those with multiple long-term conditions and frailty. It will bring together key research evidence from the international literature with learning from sites across the South West.

Day 2 will focus on how to address the critical workforce issues (GP recruitment/retention and new workers and roles in primary care) that need solving, for provision of both routine and more complex care. It will bring together frontline staff in key organisations responsible for supporting and commissioning primary care, to achieve positive coherent system change and revitalise general practice and community care.

Accommodation and travel

In partnership

The conference is jointly hosted by the Plymouth/Western Locality NHS system and the University of Plymouth, with support from Health Education South West, the South West Academic Health Science Network, the South West General Practice Trust, the Peninsula CLAHRC and goodwill from a range of stakeholders. It is co-designed to support patients, practitioners and health systems across the South West.

Please sign up to attend the conference via the above registration link. If you would like to have a more active involvement, please also email laura.gill@plymouth.ac.uk.

Please be aware that some of the University of Plymouth's public events may be attended by University photographers and videographers, for capturing content to be used in University online and offline marketing and promotional materials, for example webpages, brochures or leaflets. If for whatever reason, you or a member of your group, do not wish to be photographed, please make yourself known to staff working at the event on arrival or to the photographer.